So, I didn't really expect that to happen to me. Honestly, when I woke up with a wolf's face in front of me, I thought I was about to be eaten while I was in that weird pseudo-world thing trying to recall what led me to be in that pile. Thankfully, as I would find out from Kojo, I was just being treated for injuries near the best indoor lake I'd ever seen. It was also the most well lit cave that I'd been in, and there was some cool stuff just going on in the cave to rank it at least in my top five caves. Well...I haven't been in many caves to begin with, but I've seen them online, and I had never seen anything like this before. The light that's coming from the lake is lighting up the entire room. Does a cave count as a room? Ahh who cares.

Anyways, I was just stuck in a dogpile. Heh, literal dogpile. So, when I woke up, all the wolves seemed excited around me, but I couldn't really understand them all that well. I tried to use Animal Companionship on some of the more excitable ones, but it turns out it's a singular target thing. I have to switch it to a different animal each and every time and I can only understand that single animal basically. In other words, I can only have a single companion at a time, so I'd have to switch the target of my Companionship each time and could only ever understand a single creature. Well, I immediately called bullshit on that because the way I see it, I had slowly been learning how to speak wolf from Kojo anyway using the skill. I should not have had any problems understanding anyone there. However, I suppose that if Animal Companionship doesn't allow me to learn the language, it's doing something else that I don't know. So, when every wolf that I tried to talk to was just as hard to understand than when I had first talked to Kojo, I figured that the best case to be the most understood was to have Kojo be my wolf interpreter to the rest of the animals here. Speaking of animals, I don't even know if it's right calling them animals anymore. With how organized these wolves are, and from what Kojo's been telling me, I think that these are some of the world's people. Now, I'm kind of confused as to why there's a skill that labels them as animals, especially since Kojo has changed enough where the skill probably shouldn't work on him, but I'm sure once I find someone who actually knows something, I'll be able to at least get a better grasp on what's actually going on.

So, in the meantime, I had tried to do some recompense. I know that some of the wolves here I have personally hurt, and I know that maybe I had even killed some of them. They might still hold a grudge against me, so it's best to show that I don't mean them any harm now that the orc is out of the picture. So, to do that, I've basically just been healing the most injured wolves around me, that I at least think are the most injured, and healing them back to full. With how everyone's health is, I can somewhat experiment on how the [Regenerate] spell actually works.

From what the description of the spell says, it always costs 68% of my mana to fully heal a target, but I don't thank that's right. There's obviously going to be a different cost from healing a papercut and bringing someone back from the brink of death, and I found out I was right. See, [Regenerate] automatically assumes that you are healing someone from 1 health all the way back up to full, so in the case where someone isn't at full health, it won't take 68% of my mana to heal them. There's also the case where different people also have different amounts of health. A kid will probably only have 10, like I did in the beginning, while an adult could have upwards of 1000, from what my [Analyze] is telling me. So, [Regenerate] either heals the same amount of damage physically or the same amount of HP that's lost. Thankfully, some of the help I've done has also illuminated what case [Regenerate] favors, and that's that it favors HP lost rather than the same amount of physical damage, as it took more mana for me to heal someone that had more HP, even though they had a similar injury.

With all the healing that I was able to do, I basically bottomed out on my MP fixing every wolf that was in the cave. I just really hope that they don't expect me to do even more than I've already done, because unless they're willing to let me wait around an hour to get my full MP back, I won't be able to definitively fix someone that's in a really bad situation. Anyways, after that I had fixed the wolves, and from what I could understand Kojo was stating, they were actively trying to bribe me to fix dead people which I don't even think I can do, that was the moment that they all parted like the dead sea and a really aged looking wolf walked up to me. He wasn't aged, in the sense that he was wrinkled and having trouble walking, but more in the sense of a silver fox kind of way. From what I was able to understand via Kojo's translations, and from how the leader of the pack looked while he was bark-talking, I was not exactly welcome here. Even with all of the healing that I done to better ingratiate myself into their good graces and for the sake of the wolves around me, he wanted nothing to do with me. Sure, I might feel that they should be grateful, maybe obligated to provide me with... something. I saved a proto-village after all. Don't I deserve to be a part of a feast? Actually, no. Never mind. They don't have silverware or fire, so they'd probably expect me to eat meat fresh and...raw...Honestly though, I think I kind of understood what was going on around here, at least.

Apparently, there were some wolves that weren't part of the original pack that were being controlled by that one guy. Yeah, I know. I'm still surprised. Apparently that mind stuff wasn't actually me hallucinating or feeling too much pressure from my first battle with an actual person. That guy could control minds, and he had been actively using that power to take over wolves...There's...there's something there that I don't know what it actually is, but I know something's wrong with that. Why would you come all the way out here to mind control some animals and settle on the wolves? No offense to the guy, but if I wanted good mind controlled minions, I would've gone to the tree, and, oh, I don't know, grabbed control of the goddamn leaf falcons or whatever those flying things were. At least with those, I'd have a better army, as air control is the best type of control nowadays. I mean, besides that there's also the fact that these are people, and if the guy was able to understand that, then I might be a bit...no. Don't say it. Even in your head you can't ever say it. Death isn't something you should root for.

Now, where was I before I...oh, yeah. We're leaving and the reason is wolf politics...Actually, it might not be politics. However, I'm imagining some dogs in suits barking at each other on podiums and it's too adorable not to think about, so I might as well take a moment and imagine the whole thing playing out. With this thought running through my head, I had my body go into a standard meditation to bring back my MP some, and I saw...I don't actually know what I saw. But, I should probably just put it out there to at least make my experience more real and present in my mind.

Basically, most mana I've seen is just wafting off of anything living. Sure, there's a couple rocks here and there that actually look like they're leaking it as well, but for the most part, mana seemed to come from actively living things, or previously alive things, as the massive amount of death that was just wafting through the upper portions of the cave can testify for. But, in all cases, the mana was just a gas made of different colors that definitely corresponded to the type of mana it was. That was not the same for the wolf in front of me. His mana formed a literal aura around him, extending over his body to form a greater wolf. I tried to get a closer look at it, but...it was staring at me, like it knew I was looking at it. That, was enough of a shock to just boot me out of the state I was in. Looking over at the wolf, I think he knows what happened, because he's doing a little bit of a chuckle. However, Kojo seems to not understand what's going on. Then, the wolf left, leaving me alone with Kojo and pushing the other wolves to places unknown further into the cave. Kojo, takes a moment to stare at the retreating form of the wolf, and then turns around and starts heading towards me. I think I should probably...Is...Is he crying?

"Are...are you ok buddy? Do I need to punch him or something for hurting your feelings?" Thankfully, Kojo was chuckling a bit at my remark. Good...That's good. I think he's beginning to understand my sense of humor now. Otherwise I probably would've made a big mistake.

"Yeah, don't worry about it friend. It's just some emotions coming on." That's...not normal. I don't think I've ever seen him cry before.

"Well...what happened? Why are you crying?" His face turns to look towards the opposite end of the cave, and as he stands up, I can tell that there's a little bit of a smile coming to his face.

"I was saying goodbye." ...Really?

"...that's it?"

"Yes, I know. I should control my emotions better than-"

"What! No. Let them out man! Who cares. But the real question, is why was saying goodbye that emotional?" His face crumpled for a minute in thought, or maybe confusion? Yeah. It was confusion.

"That...that was my father, friend." That...a lot of pieces are coming into place now.

"Oh...Ooooh. Why...why don't you stay then? I think I can get out of here fine if what you said is true about the cave structure."

"...I'm not meant to." That's...concerning. Is he like a fugitive or something? Wait, what's that one word describing a person that was ejected from a community? Eh, I'll think of it later. Right now, gotta focus on my buddy.

"...Did he...force you to go?"

"No. No. It wasn't forceful. It was just...something that had to be." Ahhh. It could be a punishment, or a weird ritual thing, but...

"That definitely sounds forced to me."

"It wasn't. I agreed with him." Kojo begins walking towards the exit, presumably. I'll just trust him on this judgement, he's been living in the cave for awhile now, so he knows best. After awhile though, the silence just becomes to much to bear for me as we leave the lake cave behind and head through cavern tunnels, still somewhat lit up by the light from behind us and the reduced amount of moss that covers the walls and ceilings.

"...Alright. If you say so...When did you leave?"

"A few days ago."

"It was...wait. Sorry, before I ask questions that are kind of serious, but...it was literally days ago, and NOW you're crying?"

"Well...yeah. I'm comfortable doing that now." My eyes are drawn to the glowing moss on the ceiling and its fading glow as we leave behind the last vestiges of it. Idly, I wonder whether or not we should go back and get some fish for sustenance, but there's probably going to be a lot of good food coming up anyway. I draw my attention back to the green form that I call friend.

"...You weren't before?" Kojo turns to look at me.

"No. I never was. Now I think I'm able to."

"...Because of plant magic?" He chuckles a bit at my sarcasm before turning his head back towards the mild darkness of the cave.

"...Some of it, yeah. And I think I realize what I want to do now that I'm out of the family."

"What?" His moss bristles slightly against the air at my words, slightly glowing. Did he...absorb some of the moss from earlier?

"Why do you think I'm with you?" That...that is a good question. He could leave anytime he wants to. Wait, am I forcing him to? God, please don't let me be controlling this good boy. He's the only friend I have, and I don't want him to just be friends with me because of magical nonsense from my skills.

"...Thanks dude." Kojo's tail slightly wags a bit before the twigs in it pop back into place.

"No problem. The least I can do since we've met." ...I guess so. I've saved his life several times, but so has he saved mine. Honestly, I don't even want to keep track of it anymore. It would probably just end up as a competition or something if I brought it up.

We walked for awhile after that. I had no idea what Kojo's thinking during this entire trip, but I know what I have to do. I need to figure out what we were going to do next. Sure, we had the vague plan of 'find civilization', but how am I going to hide Kojo? It's not like he's normal. Or at least, I don't think he's normal. From what Kojo has told me, it's been awhile since a wolf has ascended. Don't really like the usage of that word, but whatever. Umm...I could always just...pretend I'm a [Beast Master]? No...I don't think that'll work out well.

If what the system says is true, then he's probably unique enough that no one is going to buy the fact that I am one. Unless...I have a hunch. It's not...really sound, but maybe his class evolved? I mean, I can't figure out much else to do with the separate leveling between me and my class. Maybe at a certain point, the class becomes something greater? I don't know. Until I find someone that can give me the answers I seek, or even a library...wait. Even if I find a library, there's no guarantee that the language skill is going to work with writing either.

No, Dave. Just...focus on current problems. Something that is immediate. If this is like any generic fantasy world that I know of, there's probably going to be a tamer kind of class. I'll just pretend that I'm that. Why not? I can't really think of much else I can do. Plus...if we're going to civilization, then what is Kojo going to do? I don't want to leave him outside of an inn or something simply because it's too small for him. I don't want him to follow me for the rest of his life, I want him to have his own life. Maybe if I ask about the past, I'll get an inkling as to what I might need to do?

At this point, the darkness was almost as bad as the trip we went through to get back into the cave. Thankfully, there was enough light from Kojo that I could at least tell the general shapes and locations of things, even if I couldn't see much detail. That meant that it was relatively easy to find each other within the darkness. Turning my head towards him, I open my mouth to ask some of my more...pressing questions as we take a right along a crossroads.

"So...important question time, I guess. What caused it? Was it me? I know that you said you've seen me before. Still kind of crazy to me that was you when I first woke up around here."

"Kind of. I saw you, let you go, and that was... straw on camel's back?"

"The last straw, but I think you're getting the hang of idioms."

"Getting the hang of....Oh! Yeah. I see." I let out a chuckle before adopting a more somber tone.

"Sorry that I kind of forced you away from your family."

"No. With how my family was, I think it was inevitable. Especially since we've been pestered by that one orc for so long, and my sister." Oh! A new juicy tidbit. I may not really like gossip, but finding out more about my new friend is always welcome.

"A sister you say?" I could tell that Kojo twitched a little, but he continued walking like nothing was a problem.

"Yeah, she's..." Kojo seemed to trail off before silencing himself in entirety. I waited for a bit, worried he might have found something further ahead in the cavern, but he just kept walking in this new silence. That could only mean one thing. It's probably an estranged relationship of his.

"..Really, it's that difficult to talk about her?"

"No. I just don't want to give you the wrong idea...Don't you had siblings before?" The question caught me a bit off guard due to the weird grammar, but I marched on.

"No." Best not think about those best forgotten.

"Huh. That's a shame. Would've been at least somewhat helpful when explaining her." He stopped for a bit before I could hear him sighing heavily.

"She is...intense. She took everything seriously. Every slight against her, whether or not you intended it, it was usually paid back tenfold at what she thought was fair. She held everyone to a standard that only she and a select few could meet, and she always tried to...pick on me."

"So...an older sister?"

"No. Younger actually. That's kind of the reason I left to begin with. Much more passionate than most. She wanted to become the new clan head at the time I left. My father and I think she's been spoiled too much, but we don't want to see her hurt. That's why I left. With how the clan head is usually picked out, things tend to get deadly or just dangerous in general, and I would much rather my sister not have to kill her brother, or I her."...What do I say to that? I don't have a frame of reference for this. Nowadays blood sport isn't exactly prohibited, but it is kind of discriminated against. I mean, I watched those old WWE videos. I can kind of understand what's going on, but what he's talking about isn't staged. It's real, and injury is guaranteed for anything real. Should I...yeah. I should.

"Well, do you regret leaving? Do you regret trying to protect your sister?" Kojo stops walking forward. I stop as well, mostly because if I hadn't I would've bumped him.

"...no. Moon is alive still. That is something that I can't thank Ounder enough for. Just seeing my sister slumber peacefully was enough for me to relax. Even if she came close to death the other day, with your help, she still lives." ...Some questions I suppose.

"Dude, how did I help her?" Kojo lets out a scoff.

"You did not have to help my family fight for their minds. You did not have to heal my family back to their prime and remove aches and pains they dealt with most of their lives. Believe it or not, friend, you are a helpful existence." Yeah...I guess I did help, even if it was just some wolves in a cave.

"Thanks Kojo. For your words. Not many people had appreciated me for what I did." Kojo chuckled a bit and resumed his pace. I followed along as he continued lambasting.

"They should. It's not everyday a wise man is born, you know?"

Wise man? "Wise man aren't born, buddy. They're made and I hardly qualify." Kojo seemed to muddle over the sentence I said. I say seemed because I have absolutely no idea why else his head would tilt like that.

"...I suppose." Silence stretched out after that, only briefly interrupted by drips of water. However, it was a comfortable silence. One drawn out because we've said all that we've needed to.

Thus, we ventured on in that state. Sometimes, I think I see something besides us in the cave, but I can't hear anything regarding that so I push aside the paranoia and focus on the path forwards. Plus, Kojo doesn't seem to notice it, or if he did it isn't worth much thought like I'm giving it, so I just continued on behind him. This went on for quite a while, so I decided that this was probably the best time I could use to better investigate myself and my relations with my skills and such.

...What do I investigate though? There's not much I can do by myself. Unless...do skills have an affect upon my soul? Or whatever it is? I mean, most don't use any of my magic. I mean...wait. Something's changed. My MP bar has changed. It's more of a...sphere now? Did I do that? When was the last time I even looked at that? Why did it change?

Is it my perception? Before, I thought it was just a measure of something, but now that I know where it comes from, do I have a more accurate representation?...I kind of don't like that. I mean...I like the new form it is, but...I don't like that it changed without me even noticing until now. You know what...I don't even know what I could do to stop that kind of thing. This interface isn't exactly easy to navigate through. Most of the things I know now are just a result of me trying things for several hours. If I could change it, I'd probably have found out by now.

So, to get away from essential topics best left for later, do I have a source of AP? I mean, I know where the MP comes from and I can actively move it about, and I know HP just represents my body's state, so what about AP? Is it just...general energy or is it something else? As I walk through the darkness, I try to peer inside myself. If my mana can be found there, maybe whatever AP is is also there? I mean...it's worth a try.

I see through the general amalgam that is my mana and the screens that are my affinities, and their glow is prominent, but that isn't what I'm searching for. I need to find something else here, if there is anything to find. I search through the...I guess you could call it darkness. It isn't just the absence of light, but more like the absence of anything. You could call it darkness, as that's basically what it is, but the feeling that comes with staring at absolute nothing is not really one that can be properly conveyed. It hurts your eyes, or at least whatever I'm using in here, to actively stare at those blank parts. At least, it did until I stared in a particular direction and it didn't...hurt for some reason. Curious, very curious.

I slowly move myself over...wait. How am I moving my perception anyway? Is it like that astral projection I've heard about? Looking down at myself it doesn't really seem to be the case. I'm not a glowing thing I just...don't see anything. It's not nothingness, but...I don't see any form. No. Bad Dave. You are currently on a mission. There's no time for existential dread over how you don't have a body in here.

Eventually, I think I start to see something. It isn't necessarily what I expected though. It's the beginnings of a river. It's not really filled with what you'd expect in a river though. It's not really water, but...something green that seems to be pumped from a specific place. I think...I think this is it, the source of my AP. But I think it's best to stop now. For some reason, my feet have stopped moving and I can't tell why. I can't go any further towards it, but I can always just come back here anyway to try out different things with it. Now that I know it's general direction I can just appear there. So, I open my eyes to...the cave's exit, where there existed not-so-tall trees, birdsong, and the fresh essence of daylight.

Completed Quest: Escape the Caldera

Depositing Rewards...

You have gained 10 levels and the title, Unbound.